Be Strong. Be Fit.

Does Beer Really Cause Beer Belly?

I went to a pub with my colleague after work. This place is his favorite. He sat there, pointed his huge belly while talking to the barmaid, “Fill this up.” The barmaid smiled and came back with two jugs of beer. I look around the pub, I saw some customers have one common appearance – beer bellies (or some call it beer gut or beer pot).
However, according to what many scientists have found, beer belly is not really directly caused by beer. Those studies do not find the beer drinkers are more prone to abdominal obesity than non-drinkers. So, beer belly is not necessarily caused by drinking beer. It can be caused by eating too much food. I have a gym buddy who drink at least twice a week, but he does not have a beer belly. As long as you work out regularly and not over drink, you will not get a beer belly (or pizza belly, ice cream belly, chocolate belly, donut belly or any other kind of belly for that matter.)

Yes, heavy drinkers (those who drink at least 2 pints to be considered as heavy drinker) do gain weight, but it is not necessarily pile around their waists. Where you gain fat has to do with your body type and genetic. If you have a 38 inch beer belly, do not blame it on the beer.

Don’t get me wrong. I am no way encouraging you to drink more beer, because drinking excessive amounts of alcohol, be it beer, wine or hard liquor, does lead to unhealthy weight gain.

So, what causes beer belly?

The real culprit is actually the amount of calories you take every day. Yes, it can be calories from the beer. You gain between 120 and 160 calories from a 12 ounce beer. If you are a heavy drinker, in addition to 3 to 4 meals you have, you consume more than you need. These calories eventually end up being stored as fat. Some people have the fat spread all over the body evenly whereas some of them are deposited right on the belly.

Moreover, beer tends to be an appetite stimulant. You see people often eat meat pies, salty nuts, chips and other junk foods when they are drinking beer. So, when all these foods add up, you know where they go.